1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lid structure for opening and closing an opening formed in an upper portion of a reagent container which holds a reagent inside.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a reagent container which holds a reagent for biological analysis is generally kept in a closed state in which an opening formed in an upper portion of the reagent container is covered by a sealing member so that an undesirable event such as evaporation of the reagent can be prevented. When the reagent is used for the analysis, the sealing member is peeled off from the reagent container so that the opening is brought into an open state. The reagent container is placed in a predetermined analyzer, and a probe is inserted inside the reagent container through the opening.
However, once peeled off from the above-described reagent container, the sealing member cannot cover the opening again. As a result, the reagent remaining in the reagent container is disposed. Thus, regardless of a remaining amount of the reagent in the reagent container, the reagent is disposed after each analysis.
To alleviate such inconvenience, a lid structure is proposed to allow for an opening/closing of the opening of the reagent container. After the reagent container is placed in a predetermined analyzer, the lid structure is made to engage with a structural member of the analyzer. Then, the lid structure moves horizontally (laterally) in accordance with the movement of the reagent container, so as to open and close the opening of the reagent container (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-194132).